Just Shy of Politically Correct
by DoodleRandom
Summary: Ever since the new staff members came in, life in the Kantei has never been so different. Who said politics is boring? A series of encounters where the whole is more than the sum of its parts. AU SasuSaku
1. Long Days

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Pairing: SasuSaku

Author's Note: This, I hope will be the beginning of a longer chapter-ed piece. Enjoy!

Kantei= official workplace of the Japanese prime minister (somewhat the Japanese equivalent to the White House)

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><p>Just Shy of Politically Correct<p>

It had been an _intense_ day.

Sasuke wearily ran his fingers through his spiky hair as he made his way to the staff kitchen. He had been pulling sixteen hour days for the past week, and he could barely keep his eyes open.

What he really needed right now was a cup of coffee, a really _strong_ cup of coffee.

The period following the election of the new prime minister was always tough on security and today had been no different. In a month, the new elected prime minister would move into the official residence and in order for that to happen, the entire residence and surrounding area had to be cleared by the new security team.

Today, Sasuke had been given the unenviable task of organizing contractual paper work.

It had taken seven hours, fifty phone calls, and a near fist-fight with Naruto, before all household staff finally got their security clearance. Sasuke's eyebrow furrowed in annoyance as he remembered the amused, evil smirk on Kakashi's lips as he handed Sasuke an assignment folder thick enough to knock out an elephant.

"Well Sasuke, I'm going to go home now. Have fun!" Kakashi had said as his eyes twinkled craftily.

Sasuke wasn't quite sure what his boss was planning but Kakashi's plans usually never boded well for Sasuke's health. The last one had left him stranded in a hostess club with only a 10,000 yen bill. Sasuke shuddered at the mere memory of that night; having his personal bubble repeatedly invaded by throngs of overly makeup-ed women in slinky dresses was not his idea of sexy.

Speaking of un-sexy, thought Sasuke, as he pushed back the doors to the _Kantei _staff break room, there was a young woman sprawled across the lunch table in an uncivilized heap, drooling and mumbling something incomprehensible as she slept on unaware of Sasuke's presence.

Dressed in a crumpled blue dress shirt with hair akimbo, she wasn't exactly the most _appealing_ woman Sasuke had ever seen. She probably didn't even cut Sasuke's top thirty list.

Her scrunched up white lab coat indicated that she was probably one of the new _Kantei_ medical staff.

_Actually_, Sasuke was pretty sure he remembered her profile from the security check earlier. She was the youngest member of the new incoming medical staff; a promising young doctor under the tutelage of senior _Kantei _physician Tsunade.

Taking another glance at the sleeping figure, he huffed in almost-amusement.

"She looked a lot better in her profile picture" mumbled Sasuke under his breath as he quietly moved around her to get to the coffee vending machine.

The brightly-lit, humming machine decorated with a caricature of a dancing coffee cup was a welcome sight to Sasuke's tired eyes.

Digging around in his pockets for some loose change, he mindlessly stuck 100yen into the coffee machine. The soft drop of the paper cup and the whir of the coffee dispenser seemed awkwardly loud in the silence of the break room. Looking back over his shoulder towards the sleeping woman on the table, he felt something akin to communion towards his fellow overworked staff member.

On a whim, he popped another 100yen into the coffee machine and placed the resulting cup of coffee beside the young woman.

Here's to getting a good night's sleep sometime, thought Sasuke soundlessly to the sleeping woman as he took his own cup and passed quietly out the break room door.

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><p>Reviews are appreciated! :)<p> 


	2. Long Nights

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. (I sekritly wish I did because then I would have gotten Sasuke and Sakura together already)

Pairing: SasuSaku

Author's Note: I know, another tease but I wanted to show a bit of Sakura's point of view.

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><p><strong>Just Shy of Politically Correct<strong>

**Chapter 2**

Sakura woke with a mumbling start as the world slowly slid into focus through her sleep-addled gaze, her waking senses greeted by the low hum of the refrigerator and the glare of the harsh fluorescent lights. Cradling her head with one hand to curb the oncoming throbbing migraine, she fumbled around in her pocket with the other for her cell phone.

3:00AM.

Sakura heaved a sigh of annoyance. This would mark the _third_ time this month she used the _kantei_ break room as her own personal bedroom.

_Maybe they will install a bed for me here, _Sakura sarcastically thought to herself as she picked up her crumpled lab coat that had once again valiantly served as her makeshift pillow.

Between preparing for her fellowship with Dr. Tsunade and pulling in twelve hour shifts at the hospital for her final month of residency, it was a miracle that Sakura managed to get any sleep at all. And _although _she wouldn't trade this opportunity for the world, Sakura was also _pretty _sure this schedule was killing her.

_At least I'm not the only one_, thought Sakura with almost amusement as she thought back to the time when she had woken up in the break room to a lukewarm cup of coffee.

"I wonder who could have left it there?" mumbled Sakura sleepily to herself as she got up to leave.

Without much more thought to the matter, Sakura walked out of the break room and into the dimly lit hall where the other _kantei_ staff offices branched off.

A string of closed wooden doors with darkened windows indicated the lateness of the hour. _Or the earliness of the morning_ thought Sakura sleepily as she trudged past the rows of offices toward the exit to hail a cab home.

But one office caught her curious eyes, the light pouring out from the open door was almost like a beacon in the dimly lit hall and Sakura's curiosity drew her to it like a moth to a flame.

"Who _else_ would be here _this _late?" murmured Sakura quietly to herself as she peeked into the brightly lit room.

A dark haired man was fast asleep at a desk, head resting upon various forms and documents that were scattered about him in a messy array. His white dress shirt and black tie were hopelessly wrinkled and his hair was a messy heap of cowlicks. The stranger dozed on unaware of Sakura's presence.

And even in her sleep deprived state, Sakura could appreciate the model-esque good looks of the dark haired stranger, even if he was out like a pig and snoring loudly. After another minute of shameless eye-candy indulgence, Sakura smiled giddily to herself before she turned off the lights in his office in a gesture of kindness —she knew how painful it was to wake up to those glaringly bright fluorescent bulbs.

_Ino is going to be so jealous once she hears of this_ thought Sakura happily as she walked toward the exit, smiling a little as she remembered her best friend complaining about the lack of good looking men in her corporate office.

She reached the end of the hall and quietly pushed open the door; a blast of humid midsummer air greeting her face. Exiting out of the hall into the courtyard of the _kantei_ grounds, Sakura mused that perhaps sleeping in the break room hadn't been so bad after all.

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><p>Reviews are always welcome! :)<p> 


	3. Short Meetings

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Pairing: Sasusaku

Author's Note: So this is an actual chapter instead of a teaser! I'm sorry it took so long! I hope you enjoy it~

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><p><strong>Just Shy of Politically Correct<strong>

**Chapter 3**

Sasuke checked himself in the mirror as he smoothed out any creases in his fitted black suit.

_As good as it's going to get,_ thought Sasuke to himself as he scrutinized his mirror image. Taking one last glance to re-adjust his red tie, the required color for all secret service personnel, Sasuke flipped off the light switch and turned to leave his office.

Sasuke was barely a foot out the door before he nearly crashed into a wayward florist trying to balance two giant chrysanthemum bouquets in her hands. It was only thanks to his quick reflexes that he managed to dodge a complete collision, instead only catching the gigantic bouquet with the sleeve of his suit jacket. The florist didn't even break her stride as she made a beeline to the banquet room without so much as an apology.

"Watch where you're _going_!" sniped the harried florist behind her as she sprinted away towards the banquet room, obviously very frazzled and irritated.

Sasuke watched the retreating figure feeling slightly irked.

"Better not have stained my suit," muttered Sasuke irately as he brought up his sleeve to check the damage. Thankfully, there no stains except for a large patch of dense yellow pollen. Thinking nothing more of it, Sasuke quickly brushed himself off and made ready to report to his boss. Quickly jamming his ear piece into his right ear, Sasuke hastened to the security briefing rooms.

Despite the earliness of the hour ––it was barely six in the morning–the _kantei_ was quite_ literally_ a circus. Event staffs were all over the place: coordinators rushing around screaming orders, public relations personnel screeching into cell phones confirming times with the press, and kitchen staff briskly firing up the stoves and ovens in preparation for the evening banquet.

Today was the _big _day.

The new prime minister was officially moving in and taking his inaugural speech in front of hundreds of press, his cabinet members would be introduced to the public for the first time, and the foreign ambassadors and Japanese Diet would be coming in later for the inaugural banquet. In short, secret service would be stretched _very_ thin today covering so many _**ass(es)**_ets. In fact, even the forever lazy Kakashi had been on-time this morning, for once acting like the Section One Department Chief that was his title.

The prospect of another _long_ day prompted Sasuke to push the heel of his hand against his forehead in an effort to ward off the oncoming headache.

A vibrating buzz abruptly jarred Sasuke from his thoughts as he scrambled to dig out his phone from his pocket.

"Hello?"

"Hey bastard, I heard you got car duty?"

The familiar voice blasted through the phone with both volume and clarity.

"Good morning to you too Naruto," deadpanned Sasuke.

"Bastard, that's not fair, just 'cause Pervert-Kakashi likes you, he gives you the cushy jobs! He probably just wants you to be in the press again! Last time you were in the press, we got a thousand fan letters and two calls from modeling agencies." Groused an irritated Naruto over the phone.

"Naruto, is there a point to this phone call?" Sasuke asked blandly.

"Yes! Switch with me!" moaned Naruto desperately, "I got protection detail for Lady Shijimi and her damn cat _again_! I swear Kakashi is out to get me!"

"Oh Naruto, I've got bad reception, I can't he-a-a-r yo-u wel-l. I'm ha-ngin-g up no-w."

"Bastard, I'm in the same building as you! Your reception is _just fine!_" shouted Naruto angrily, "You better not hang up on me bastard!"

"Bye Naruto." As Sasuke immediately hit the red "end call" button before stuffing his phone back into his jacket pocket.

He wouldn't have switched with Naruto unless there was a million dollar prize at the end of _that_ assignment, _and even then, I would still hesitate _Sasuke thought, grimacing as he remembered the last time he had to detail for Lady Shijimi. It was a nightmare that had ended in a half bald cat and an almost-demotion, something that Sasuke was _not_ keen to visit again.

Picking up his pace, he briskly moved to enter the security briefing room.

Sasuke quietly slipped into the room and took a seat near the back next to another agent that Sasuke vaguely knew as Inuzuka-san. Giving a brisk nod to his coworker, Sasuke waited for the beginning of the debriefing.

"All personnel currently here are for security detail with the Prime minister and his immediate family?" drawled Kakashi as he swept a cursory glance at the men in the room and he was greeted with a few nods and quiet "hai's".

"All right then, I'll go over the route and specific assignments. Hold questions until the end."

Sasuke opened the file folder on his desk and settled in to listen for his assignment details.

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><p>Two hours after the meeting, Sasuke and his security team were waiting outside the prime ministers old civilian residence with three sleek black Mercedes-Benz S-600 sedans and a half dozen police cars. They made quite a sight in the otherwise calm morning of the prime minister's neighborhood, the silence punctuated only by the sound of birds and car engines. Sasuke glanced at his watch idly, trying to make out the numbers despite the glare caused by the bright morning sunshine.<p>

At five minutes past eight, the prime minister and his family walked out of their old home ready to begin the day's events. Today would be the day they officially took up residence in the _kantei_.

Sasuke was surprised at how elderly the man looked, who despite only being in his fifties, had a deeply creased face and completely white hair. He was followed by his two grown sons and their spouses while his wife quietly brought up the rear in an elegant dark furisode calming holding the hand of their grandson.

"Sir Prime Minister, I am humbled to make your acquaintance. My name is Uchiha Sasuke, and I will be leading your security team today," announced Sasuke stiffly as he bowed low at a very formal ninety degrees.

"Well, I place myself and my family into your team's good hands then." Spoke the prime minister gently as he returned the bow.

And almost as a second thought, the prime minister directed an off-hand question at Sasuke.

"Are you related to Uchiha Fugaku by any chance?" The prime minister asked with innocent curiosity.

Sasuke visibly stiffened; he hated being associated with his father. _Nepotism being the least of my worries, _Sasuke thought with annoyance. They had never had a close relationship and it had only worsened when Sasuke refused to follow his father into politics, instead opting for a less prestigious job with the secret service.

_But it's not like I can lie to the Prime Minister,_ thought Sasuke humorlessly before answering in an even tone.

"Yes, he is my father." Sasuke succinctly replied, supplying no more information.

"Well, he is a good man. But I am sure you already know that," returned the prime minister with a kindly smile, "But let's get this show on the road, shall we? We have an inauguration to make!"

The enthusiastic declaration prompting the prime minister and his family to board the sleek black sedans and begin the ride to their new home.

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><p>"…..and I, Sarutobi Hiruzen, do hereby accept this position as Prime Minister of Japan," finished the Prime Minister with flourish and poise.<p>

Sasuke was standing to the left of the Prime Minister with his face to the crowd of reporters, both foreign and domestic, scanning the people with trained eyes, searching for any signs of agitation. An incident here at the inaugural press conference would be an international press fiasco to say the least.

But what eventually drew Sasuke's attention wasn't an overly zealous reporter or a possible terrorist threat but a fey haired woman sitting towards the left of the room right next to the commanding presence of the head physician, Dr. Tsunade. The woman's apple green eyes were positively glowing with excitement as she watched the proceedings around her, occasionally glancing giddily at her mentor beside her. She actually seemed rather besotted with how close she was sitting to Dr. Tsunade and other important cabinet members.

_She looks happy_ thought Sasuke absentmindedly before he narrowed his eyes a bit. She seemed _awfully _familiar.

And then it clicked for Sasuke. She was the woman in the break room! The youngest member of the Prime Minister's personal team of doctors, the apprentice of that intimidating famous doctor!

_Sakura? Was that her name? __Well __**she **__certainly __cleaned up well, _Sasuke thought as he glanced at her again, no longer the sleep-deprived mess that he first witnessed in the break room, in fact, she was actually…kind of…._pretty. _

Sasuke, a little taken aback by his audacious thoughts, shook his head to clear his rather….._inappropriate_ musings.

It was then he caught the eye of Naruto who was sporting a rather vexing know-it-all smirk on his face. _Damn it, I'm never going to hear the end of this_ cursed Sasuke inwardly knowing that Naruto was going to milk this little slip-up for all it was worth.

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><p>The dim lights, soft conversation, and soothing chamber music of the banquet hall were not helping Sasuke's energy levels.<p>

It was already nine in the evening and Sasuke was _tired_. He had been on working since six this morning but he still had detail duty until the end of the inaugural banquet.

_Which seems to be ending no time soon, _Sasuke mused as he scanned the crowd for any signs that the party was dying down. It wasn't.

He inhaled deeply to try to ward off the fatigue as he readjusted his rapidly slouching posture and took a quick glance toward the prime minister seated at the table six feet to Sasuke's right. The prime minister was smiling as he leaned over to whisper something into his wife's ear.

Sasuke sardonically mused that this is what his life amounted to; standing around rich, influential old men as he watched them eat. Maybe he _should _have followed his father into politics, at least he would be eating with Fugaku at this banquet instead of watching his father, as Minister of Defense, make small talk with the ambassador of Canada.

Sasuke looked at his watch again, frowning a little as he noted that only five minutes had passed since he last checked the time.

And just as he was settling himself in for another uneventful evening, fate decided to play another hand.

A foreign dignitary suddenly and violently shot up from his seat as he clutched desperately at his throat and gestured wildly for help, a look of sheer panic gracing his features as he began to wheeze uncontrollably and turn a shade of puce-purple.

The entire secret service _sprang_ into action.

The Prime Minister was carefully and quietly ushered out of the banquet hall into a safe room, while the dignitary was surrounded by secret service. Seeing that his team had already secured the removal of the prime minister to a safe zone, Sasuke quickly moved to direct the dignitary to medical attention. Catching the eye of Dr. Tsunade who was rushing to accompany the Prime Minister, she pointed a tapered finger towards the kitchen doors, mouthing silently that another medical staff member would meet him in there.

Sasuke quickly threw the dignitary's arm around his shoulders as he and his team carried the wheezing man out to the _kantei_ kitchenwhere he was greeted by the young apprentice doctor who had a shot of epinephrine ready to go in her gloved hands.

If it were any other situation, Sasuke would have smirked at the image she gave with peach chiffon evening gown, diamond earrings, and purple latex gloves but this was no time for laughing. Sasuke gently placed the dignitary on the cold tile floors as Sakura moved efficiently and silently to push the loaded needle into the dignitary's torso.

The effect was almost immediate. The dignitary's breathing was no longer labored and the purple tinge on his face began receding. The fey-haired physician next to him breathed a sigh of relief before leaning over to check his pulse with sure hands.

"Don't worry, it's not as bad as it looks," smiled Sakura gently as she turned toward Sasuke who seemed a little on edge.

"It's just an allergic reaction, although to what I don't know. But it's probably best to call an ambulance to get him to a hospital to make sure," Sakura professionally stated as she gave another glance toward the dignitary who was unconscious.

"I'll call." stated Sasuke as he pulled out his phone and dialed the emergency number requesting an ambulance.

"Oh! I forgot to introduce myself to you! My name is Haruno Sakura, assistant physician to Dr. Tsunade. Pleased to make your acquaintance." exclaimed Sakura softly before she rose to give a small bow towards Sasuke.

Her green eyes glimmered under the fluorescent kitchen lights as she waited for Sasuke to respond. Sakura quietly took in the sight of the young man, noting the dark eye-bags that beleaguered his otherwise handsome features.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance as well Haruno-san. I am Uchiha Sasuke from the security team of the prime minister," intoned Sasuke before returning the bow, "thank you for your help today."

"It was my pleasure," demurred Sakura with a smile as she felt the heat rush to her cheeks, "so, I guess I'll-"

Her sentence was cut off by the sudden whine of the siren that signaled the arrival of the ambulance, saving them from the awkward silence that was to follow. Sakura jumped up, almost too eagerly, to open the back doors of the kitchen to let in the EMS.

The dignitary was loaded onto the stretcher and Sakura followed it toward the ambulance.

"I'll accompany the patient, you should go check back on the prime minister. Tell Dr. Tsunade that I will call her regarding the dignitary's condition but it should be just fine," spoke Sakura over her shoulder reassuringly.

"Understood, I will let her know," replied Sasuke with a small affirmative nod. Satisfied with the answer, Sakura got up into the ambulance and left, leaving Sasuke to run a hand through his hair as he stood alone in the kitchen before he too left.

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><p>Review's are always welcome! (I read every review I get and they always help to encourage me to write more! Thank you to those who have reviewed!)<p> 


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